Another Surprise
by GodlyJewel
Summary: A peaceful trip to the cabin starts out like any family vacation. Yet things take a turn for the worse when a friend shows up on the doorstep in tears. Can Catherine and Vincent help mend a broken relationship, or will it all only end in utter disaster. - Catherine/Vincent & Devin/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Another Surprise**

**Author's Note:** I am happy so many people enjoyed my first BatB story. So to the request of my reviewers I decided to do this little sequel. I plan to write more about Rosie and Jacob, but this story ties more in with Devin and my OC Tasha, but there is also some Vincent and Catherine fluff. I hope you like it, and if you like, send me other ideas for adventures/mischief the twins can get into.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the BatB characters from the show. Also any music or familiar scenes will be given credit to the people who inspired them.

**Rating:** T for safety

* * *

**Chapter 1: ****Family Get Away**

It was late at night and along the dusty road drove a dark gray van with tinted windows. It had been a long drive from New York City and the commotion inside had died down about an hour ago. The driver looked in her rearview mirror to see her two children sleeping soundly in their car seats. The little boy was slumped forward with his chin resting on his chest, while the little girl rested her head on her stuffed rabbit and had her thumb in her mouth. The driver smiled and returned her eyes to the road.

"How are they?" asked the man in the passenger seat.

"Sound asleep," the driver replied. "It's a shame we'll have to wake them up. We're almost to the cabin."

"I wouldn't worry Catherine. They may not even wake at all when we arrive. If Jacob and Rosie remain asleep, I will carry them inside."

Catherine removed her right hand from the steering wheel and reached for her husband's hand. He took her hand and brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. Catherine smiled as the soft fur on his hand brushed against her skin, and she felt the cool metal of her husband's wedding band. She took a quick glance at the matching ring on her own hand.

She could hardly believe that one-year ago she had been reunited with her beloved Vincent and their son Jacob, after being cruelly separated by an evil man named Gabriel for three years. The only thing that had kept her going was their other child, Rosemary. Then, by a miracle, they were able to find each other again, and Vincent had asked Catherine to marry him. She sighed.

"Something on your mind, Catherine?" Vincent asked her.

"Just memories," she replied, "So, are you ready for a full family weekend?"

Vincent chuckled. "I still cannot fathom how you persuaded Father to allow us to travel up to your old cabin."

"Our cabin Vincent. And I have my ways. I simply told Father that the twins wanted to have some time with their daddy after you got back from that repair job in the lowers tunnels. You men were gone for a whole month, remember?"

"Yes, and every day we would pray for the repair to finish quickly so we could return to our loved ones. I can still see the look on the children's faces as we returned."

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

_Vincent and the other men had just returned from the repair job in the lower tunnels. They had not planned to arrive until after dinnertime and decided to surprise their families. The men had even specifically asked the sentries not to report their arrival._

_As Vincent crept closer to his chamber he clamped down on the Bond so Catherine would not detect his presence. He finally approached the chamber and peeked inside. Just on the floor of the chamber Jacob and Rosie sat playing with Vincent's old carousal. The children seemed to be having fun, but anyone could tell that they missed their dad._

_Vincent smiled and, after quietly setting his duffle bag down on a chair, he stepped into the chamber. As soon as they heard Vincent step into the room Jacob and Rosie looked up and smiled ear to ear._

_"Daddy!" they cried in unison and ran over to wrap their arms around their father's legs._

_Vincent chuckled and reached down to scoop his children into his arms, his son on the left and his daughter on the right. The children screamed in delight and began hugging Vincent and telling him how much the missed him. They started talking at once about what they did while he was away and asking him all sorts of questions. Vincent had to sit down from being so overwhelmed._

_"All right you two, one at a time. Your father is still tired from the long journey back."_

_"Daddy is you leaving again?" Rosie asked with a little pout._

_"No Rosemary. The repairs are finished and I won't have to leave except to teach the classes."_

_"Yeah!" she cried and wrapped her small arms around Vincent's neck._

_"Now," Vincent asked, "do either of you know where your mother is?"_

_"Right here love," a voice called from the entryway. All three looked up as Catherine walked in with a basket of laundry. She set it down on the bed and walked over to Vincent and the twins._

_"Hi Mommy," the twins cried as Catherine hugged them. Then she leaned over and welcomed Vincent home with a kiss. It was short but Vincent knew it was one that was meant as both a greeting, and a promise for a more proper welcome home later. The twins made little gagging noises causing their parents to laugh._

**_~Flashback~_**

* * *

Vincent was brought out of his musings as Catherine pulled into the driveway. She parked the car and then Vincent followed to help her unload the car. He grabbed the bags while Catherine rushed to open the cabin door for him. They carried all the bags inside and set them down in the living room. Once that was done they returned to the car to retrieve the still sleeping children.

Catherine unbuckled Rosie from her car seat and lifted the girl into her arms. Vincent, on the other hand, was having some difficulty undoing the seatbelt from Jacob's seat. His claws kept fumbling over the buttons and it looked like he was about ready to shred the belt out of frustration.

"Need a hand?" Catherine asked as she walked over to her flustered husband. She handed off her daughter, repeated the process, and was able to retrieve her son from the car. She turned around and chuckled at the look on Vincent's face.

"Don't worry, not everyone can get it. It took me a few tries in the beginning. At least Maize didn't beat me over the head with a slipper when I couldn't undue the latch."

The comment made both of them laugh as they walked in. Once inside the cabin, they found their way into what used to be Rosie's old room. The last time the Wells family had come to the cabin Catherine had ordered another bed for Jacob and repainted the room. It was now suitable for both the little boy and girl. Catherine and Vincent placed each child into their bed. Catherine placed a kiss to Jacob's forehead before turning to Rosie's bed and repeating the action. Then she left the room.

Vincent proceeded to do the same when a small sound from Rosie's bed alerted him. The small girl had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

"Daddy?" the young girl asked through a yawn.

"Shh," Vincent knelt by her bedside. "Go back to sleep."

The little girl closed her eyes and nestled down into her bed, cuddling her rabbit close. Vincent tucked the covers securely around her and placed a kiss to the top of her head. Then, making sure his son still slept soundly, Vincent kissed Jacob goodnight and turned to leave the room.

Catherine was standing in the doorway. Her heart melted at the sweet sight of Vincent tucking their children in bed. He joined her in the doorway to have one last look at the sleeping children. Catherine leaned back into Vincent as his arm wrapped around Catherine's shoulders. Then they shut the door quietly and turned their attention to the unpacked luggage. First they unpacked the food William had supplied them, plus a few ingredients Catherine had asked for personally. Once the food was put away they attended to the other bags. They placed the twins' bags outside their bedroom door and then carried their own bags to the master bedroom.

They entered the room and turned on the lights. The room still looked the same, with its cool gray walls and dark oak furniture. They each unpacked a weekend's worth of clothes and placed them in the walk-in closet. When they were done Catherine and Vincent noticed the clock read eleven o' clock and decided it was time to head to bed themselves.

Vincent changed into his usual nightshirt and pajama pants, and then quickly brushed his teeth.

"Looks like it will be a sunny day tomorrow," Catherine called from the other side of the door.

He rinsed out his mouth before answering. "It would appear so. I believe Rosie insisted on swimming in the lake, but I believe Jacob wishes to explore the hiking trails."

When Catherine didn't respond Vincent became worried. He opened the door and found Catherine had fallen asleep on the bed. He smiled as he walked over and removed his wife's shoes and coat. He gathered her into his arms and pulled back the covers before placing her in bed. Vincent couldn't resist leaning over and giving his Catherine a kiss to her cheek. Then he turned off the lights and joined his exhausted wife in bed, pulling her to his side and covering them with the blankets.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Happy Father's Day**

The following morning the sun filtered through the widow, reflecting of Vincent's golden locks. He sighed, not ready to awaken just yet. Stretching his arms he reached for the solid warmth that normally curled beside him, but all his hand met was an empty mattress. His eyes shot open to discover himself alone. Vincent puzzled how this was possible. For a moment he panicked, thinking the past year of his life had only been a dream. He was quickly reassured when he saw the cabin walls and oak furniture, opposed to his the carved stonewalls and patched furniture in his chamber. Now, all he needed to figure out was how Catherine had been able to leave the bedroom, let alone his embrace, without Vincent knowing. Usually he awoke earlier than everyone else.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and in burst Jacob and Rosie yelling, "Surprise! Happy Daddy's Day!"

"What's this?" Vincent barely got a word in as his children clamored into the large bed and hugged him.

"Did we surprise you Daddy?" Rosie asked.

"Yes, you did, but what on earth is going on?"

Jacob answered, "Rosie and me wanted to do something special for you on Daddy's Day."

"And I membered you like coming to da cabin," Rosie added.

"So we asked Mommy and she ask Grandpa if we could come here and surprise you."

Vincent could only smile. To think his family had done this all for him was too much. He hadn't even thought about Father's Day being celebrated for himself. Since he was a boy Vincent would spend this particular holiday watching the other children giving special gifts to their fathers. Of course orphaned children like Vincent and Devin would make cards for Father. After Devin left Vincent continued the tradition and he would also play chess with Father. This habit had stayed with him through adulthood. That is, until Catherine's disappearance and the arrival of their son, Jacob. Of course, Vincent had not known Jacob was his son at the time. Now that he knew the truth, he could finally feel the joy all fathers around the globe felt on this day.

Vincent looked down and smiled at his children. "I don't know what to say."

Just at that moment Catherine entered with a rather large tray in her hands.

"Hey you two. Did you forget something."

There was a double "Oops" and the twins quickly rushed to their mother and relieved her of her burden. Carefully they brought the tray over to the bed and set it down on Vincent's lap. Vincent's eyes widen at the amount of food laid before him. A stack of eight blueberry pancakes with four slices of bacon, two eggs, and a steaming mug of Vincent's favorite tea.

"Mommy made it but me and Rosie help," Jacob stated proudly.

"Did you now?" Vincent raised a skeptical eye at his wife who was smiling as she walked to the bedside.

"If by help you mean made a mess of the kitchen, then yes, they helped. Now hop to it kids. You come help clean up your mess so your father can eat his breakfast in peace." With a quick goodbye the children were gone. Catherine was about to join them when Vincent grabbed her wrist and pulled her down for that morning kiss he had yet to receive.

"Morning love," he said when their lips parted.

"Morning to you too. Sorry for not waking with you this morning, but Jacob and Rosie wanted to surprise you with a breakfast; I had to sneak out."

"And just how were you able to manage such a feat without my knowledge?"

"Now that's my little secret," she said with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "And I don't plan to reveal it." Catherine slipped from his grasp and made her way out the door. Vincent's eyes never left her, puzzling over her devious trick and, more importantly, thinking how beautiful she looked with the morning sun shining in her hair.

Just before she left his sight Catherine turned back to say, "Oh, when you're done, just leave the tray on the nightstand and get ready for the day. Jacob and Rosie insist that you choose all the activities, but there will be other surprises." She blew him a kiss and then left to help her children clean up the kitchen.

Vincent smiled and then turned his attention to his bountiful breakfast. While he ate he mused over what the day might entail. He was used to doing whatever his family wanted to do. Perhaps he would do what the children had suggested the day before. Soon enough he devoured the banquet and set to dressing. Not sure what to wear, Vincent dressed in clothing suitable for getting dirty in. He slipped on a part of worn-out jeans, a red flannel shirt, some wool socks, and his boots. He chuckled, thinking how in the past he would never have worn such casual clothing, let alone clothes with few layers. Once he was dressed Vincent joined his family downstairs.

While Vincent was making his way to the kitchen, Catherine and the children were hard at work cleaning up. There was pancake batter all over the counter, blueberries and cracked eggs on the floor. The twins were collecting the eggshells while Catherine was using the mop when Vincent walked in. He smiled as he walked up to his wife, and tried to take the mop from her. But Catherine would have none of that.

"Vincent, don't you dare. This is your day to relax and let us do the work."

Vincent chuckled. "Catherine, if today is about what I want, then let me help you clean up. Something I _want_ to do."

Catherine sighed in defeat and handed him the mop. After they cleaned up the kitchen, Vincent suggested they go for a morning hike. The twins were excited and quickly ran upstairs to change into proper hiking clothes. Vincent was sent to the living room to wait while Catherine put together a picnic basket.

Soon the family was all set to go. They went for an hour-long hike in the woods, which led to a picnic lunch in the glen. Again Vincent was surprised by the food: fresh corn salad, fruit, lemonade, and William's peanut butter cookies. After that Catherine pulled out a Frisbee disk from the picnic basket. Jacob and Rosie squealed in delight and started tossing the Frisbee back and forth to each other and Catherine. After some egging on, Vincent finally got up and joined his family. After a few attempts (and Vincent rushing off after a disk he'd thrown too far) Vincent finally got the hang of the game.

When Frisbee got to be boring the twins convinced their parents in starting a game of tag. There was squealing and laughter as they ran around chasing each other. Vincent had to try his best not to use his abilities to find and tag his family. Although that proved difficult whenever he tried to catch one of the twins. Catherine hid behind a tree and laughed as she watched her husband try to catch one of the children. She got so distracted that she never noticed Vincent had spotted her and slipped into the brush. With Catherine thinking he had gone after Jacob, Vincent was able to stealthily stalk up behind her. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her against his chest, causing Catherine to gasp. He then kissed her just below her right ear.

"You're it," he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear and neck. He quickly released her and took off. Catherine followed until she lost sight of him. Jacob and Rosie ran out, unaware their mother had become "it." Instead of tagging one of the children, Catherine called her children to her. She whispered in their ears and with a nod and a giggle, the twins sped off. Catherine chuckled and went to gather the picnic items before going off in search of her elusive husband.

Meanwhile, Vincent had found himself by the lake, awaiting Catherine's attempt to catch him. His attention focused on Catherine, Vincent paid to mind when Jacob and Rosie came out of the woods. Seeing their father was distracted, the twins chuckled and began sneaking up on him. Vincent heard the children's laughter. It was then he realized that he had been set up. Before he could do anything the children tackled him to the ground.

This was the scene Catherine walked in on. The sight made her smile. Vincent was on his back, laughing, with Jacob and Rosie on top, tickling him. Catherine set her burden by the lakeside and walked over to stood over Vincent's head.

She laughed. "Nice work kids. Now let your dad up or you won't get to go swimming."

Jacob and Rosie got up and ran over toward the lake, leaving Vincent lying on his back, trying to catch his breath. Catherine walked around to his side and offered him her hand, but instead of letting her pull him up, Vincent pulled down, causing Catherine to land on top of him. His arm snaked around her, imprisoning her in a vice-like grip, while the other hand started tickling her as she tried to escape.

"Vi-Vincent, s-sto-ha-ha-p that... ha-ha-ha." Then, before she could further protest, he paused only to press his unique mouth to her own for a long kiss. Her struggling ceased and Catherine let herself be swept away in the moment. Vincent's hand traveled from her wait to entangle his fingers in her long, silky hair. After about a minute or two, they parted out of a need for air.

"So," Catherine asked, looking into his eyes, "as much as I'd like to continue, the twins need to be supervised." Vincent sighed in agreement and allowed Catherine to stand. He joined her by her side and took her smaller hand in her, quickly brushing her knuckles with a kiss. Soon Catherine and Vincent were walking hand-in-hand toward the lake.

When they arrived they found the twins already in their swimwear and eagerly waiting for their parents to join them. Catherine released Vincent's hand and began to remove her clothes to reveal a black one-piece suit underneath. She then helped Jacob and Rosie into their floaties before releasing them into the water. When she returned to Vincent's side she produced a pair a navy blue swim trunks. Knowing their outing would lead to the lake, Catherine had packed Vincent his swim trunks and retrieved them after sending Jacob and Rosie after him.

Thanking her for the trunks, Vincent rushed off into the woods and returned shortly wearing the trunks, and carrying his clothes in one hand. Still feeling playful, Vincent set his clothes by the shore and quietly crept up behind Catherine as she waded into the water. Jacob and Rosie, spotting their sneaky parent, tried to warn her but it was too late. Vincent had scooped his startled wife into his arms and began to carry her deeper into the water. When it was just past his hips, Vincent smiled wickedly and threw Catherine into the water. Catherine came up to the surface, looking around in shock and surprise until her eyes landed on Vincent. This meant war!

Soon Catherine and Vincent were splashing each other and laughing hysterically. The game looked like so much fun that the twins soon joined in. This went on for a while until Jacob asked if his father would throw him into the water. Not to be left out of the fun, Rosie also insisted on being tossed. Without question Vincent began scooping his children up one at a time, and tossing them into the water. This was followed by a contest of who could make the biggest splash by jumping off the dock. Everyone was having so much fun that no one noticed how quickly the time had gone by.

As the sun began to set, both Catherine and Vincent knew it was time to end the water fun.

"Ok everyone, out of the pool," Catherine called to her children.

The twins groaned but didn't fight as their parents brought them in from the water. Catherine took out the towels she brought and began to dry the children. Once everyone was dry, Vincent gathered the children in his arms while Catherine took care of the picnic and swimming supplies. They walked back to the cabin and Catherine insisted everyone clean up because dinner would be soon.

Once everyone was dried and dressed it was around four o'clock. The twins went to play in their rooms and Catherine headed to the kitchen to get started. Catherine complied when Vincent insisted on helping make the dinner, and showed him what they were having: steaks, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Catherine showed Vincent how to broil the steaks in the oven, then heated the green beans on the stove. While the steaks were cooking, Catherine tried to mash the potatoes. She was starting to get tired when two large furry hands placed themselves over her own.

"Let me help you with that, Catherine," Vincent said. With his hands on hers, Vincent and Catherine finished mashing the potatoes together. The only paused once to check the steaks. The twins weren't old enough for medium-rare, so theirs had to cook a little longer. When they were done, Catherine called the children. While Vincent cut up the children's steaks, Catherine and the children gathered up the potatoes and green beans.

When Vincent brought Jacob and Rosie's plates into the dinning room, he was surprised to see the table had been set. When Vincent and Catherine were mashing potatoes, the twins had snuck into the dinning room and set the table. Vincent took his seat and soon everyone was enjoying the meal.

When everyone was finished, Vincent and the children were sent to the living room, while Catherine cleared the table. Vincent had tried to assist her, but she declined and sent him to the living room. Vincent sat down on the large couch with his children and waited for Catherine to join them. When she finally joined them, Vincent noticed she was carrying a platter of what appeared to be eight stacks of light brown cookies.

"What is that?" Vincent asked.

Catherine smiled as she placed the treat on the table. Rosie began to get very excited, but one look from Catherine told the child not to say a word. So she whispered it in her brother's ear instead, causing him to become equally as excited.

"This is an Old Fashioned Chocolate Icebox Dessert," Catherine explained. "I learned how to make it while I was working for Katie. But knowing how much you like chocolate, I made you the extra chocolaty version."

Catherine placed one stack on a plate for Vincent. He took a piece and placed it into his mouth. He was surprised by the creaminess and crunchiness of the dessert. Soon his family was joining him, all happy with how it had turned out. When the dessert was finished the twins rushed upstairs to get their Father's Day presents. While they waited Catherine and Vincent cleared the dishes, then walked to the living room where Jacob and Rosie were waiting. They instructed Vincent to sit on the couch. Once he sat down Jacob and Rosie presented him with their gift, shouting, "Happy Daddy's Day, Daddy!"

Vincent tore back the paper to reveal a concrete circle with two small handprints, one blue and one pink. Jacob and Rosie had their names written above each handprint.

"Do you like it, Daddy?" Rosie asked.

Vincent looked at his children with a warm smile. "It's wonderful. Thank you both for such a lovely gift." Vincent then placed the gift on the coffee table and opened his arms to embrace his children. The twins eagerly jumped into Vincent's arms and hugged their father. Vincent felt such a warmth in his heart. How had someone like him been lucky enough to have two beautiful, loving children such as these?

"Can we watch a movie Daddy?" Rosie asked.

"Yeah, can we?" Jacob pleaded.

Looking over at Catherine, Vincent smiled and told them to pick something out. The children squealed and rushed to the movie cabinet to pick out a movie. Watching videos was another experience in his life since meeting Catherine. Catherine took the opportunity to take a seat next to Vincent on the couch. She sat down beside him as he placed his arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss to her temple.

The children choose the film adaption of Frances Hodgson Burnett's _The Secret Garden_. After placing the movie in the VHS player and hitting the play button, Jacob and Rosie scrambled up the couch and sat down on Vincent's lap. Sitting there, watching a movie with his family, Vincent couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to end the evening. Little did he know what else lay in store for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Unexpected Visitor**

Halfway through the movie Catherine noticed the twins were beginning to fall asleep. When the movie was over Vincent gathered the children into his arms while Catherine took care of the video.

As he made his way to the stairs he was stopped by Catherine's hand on his shoulder. He tried to turn but Catherine was already on her tiptoes, her lips brushing his ear.

"Once you have them in bed, give me ten minutes and meet me back in the living room. I still have my gift to give you."

Vincent felt his breath catch in his throat as she pulled away. He listened as Catherine walked away then made his way upstairs. As much as he wanted to get to Catherine, he didn't want to disturb the children. If they woke up it might ruin the 'surprise' Catherine had in store.

He finally made it to the twins' bedroom and laid them down in their beds. He smiled and very carefully readied them for bed. He removed their socks and exchanged their shirts and pants for their pajamas. After getting them dressed he tucked the children into their beds, giving then a kiss goodnight. He smiled down at their sleeping forms and turned out the light. As he crept out the door, he paused at a small sound, much like a soft coo.

He turned his head to see Jacob and Rosie were slightly awake. There eyes were barley half lidded and their mouths were parted.

"Happy D-Daddy's day," they whispered in unison before falling back into dreamland.

Closing the bedroom door, Vincent waited five minutes before heading to the living room. He wanted to make sure Jacob and Rosie were sleeping, and give Catherine some time to set up her surprise.

He made his way down the stairs. As he entered the living room, he noticed the lights were dimmed and a fire was going in the fireplace. Vincent looked around but Catherine was nowhere in sight. His eyes roamed until they fell on the coffee table. On the top of the table was a glass of red wine and a note. Vincent walked over and picked up the note.

_Just relax and have some wine. I'll be out in a moment._

Not sure what else to do, Vincent sat down on the couch and took the glass. As he sipped on the wine he thought over the day's events. He had been blessed with such a wondrous family that they had done all this for him. He would often questioned what he had done to deserve such a happy life. He never asked for anything for himself; the only way he would accept something like this was to be talked into it, or be given it by surprise.

Suddenly there was the sound of a door closing upstairs. Vincent smiled into his glass as he heard the soft sound of footsteps making their way down the stairs. Even when she tried her best, Catherine just couldn't escape Vincent's excellent hearing. He listened as she walked into the living room before leaning forward to place his glass on the table. As he sat back, intending to stand and greet her, he was stopped as two hands pressed down on his shoulders. He wanted to protest but then Catherine's fingers began to work tenderly on his tensed shoulders, digging slightly into the muscle. Vincent leaned back into her touch, his whole body becoming more relaxed.

"Vincent you're so tense," Catherine said. "All that work down in the tunnels really took it's toll on you, didn't it?" Vincent found himself unable to answer as her hands continued to work their magic on his skin. "Don't worry love." She leaned down and nuzzled the spot just behind his left ear. Her voice was low, as she whispered, "I'll take care of everything."

Vincent's head lolled to the back of the couch as Catherine moved from his shoulders to his neck. Unlike his face and hands, the skin on Vincent's neck was smooth. He practically shivered as her fingers brushed over the tender flesh. Then Catherine got daring. Her hands moved down until they encountered his shirt collar. A devilish smile crept on her lips. How fortunate he'd worn a button-down flannel shirt. Quickly the offensive button was removed. Then another, and another, until the golden hairs of his chest could be seen. Vincent's eyes snapped opened.

"Catherine, what—"

"Sorry but they were in the way," she said as innocently as possible. As if to prove her point, she brought her hands back up to continue massaging Vincent's shoulders. He instantly relaxed back into his previous position as Catherine continued to burry her fingers into Vincent's tense shoulders, releasing the pressure from the knots in his muscles. Catherine smiled at the sound of a deep, low rumble emitted from her husband.

"Mmm. I love it when you do that," she sighed. When she felt him relax again, she began roaming her hands over his shoulders and neck, even the back of his head. Then she moved to his arms. Even through the fabric of his sleeves, Catherine revealed in every muscle her hands encountered. Well-toned muscles strengthened by hours of work carving into stone walls and helping bring heavy supplies from Helpers Above down to the lower Tunnels. Such strong arms, and yet so gently whenever he carried the children, or held her close. Catherine shook her head. She had to keep her own emotions under control. If she moved to fast her plan would be spoiled.

Still she couldn't resist as her hands delicately glided down to his torso. Her fingers curled around the goldenness hairs. Suddenly a large, furred hand grasped her own. Her ministrations stopped as Vincent firmly held her smaller hand in his own, bringing it to his lips. Smiling she tried to slip her hand away to continue massaging his shoulders, but was stopped by a low growl. It was a warning not to move. She stopped and allowed him to continue giving her hand soft kisses. He began to kiss her wrist, working his way up until he was pulling on her arm, wanting to bring her closer.

Catherine understood and, after a little tugging to free her arm, walked to the front of the couch. Although regretting the loss of contact, Vincent opened his eyes to find a true vision in front of him. Catherine stepped out in a dark green negligee with a matching robe. The light from the fireplace gave a warm glow about her. The silken nightgown hugged every one of her curves and her beauty was only enhanced by the look of love that shown deep in her eyes. Oh yes, she knew exactly what wearing that outfit did to him. How Vincent loved the way she looked in it. It often reminded him of the ones she used to wear when he would visit her on the balcony of her old apartment on late nights. Of course, he loved anything his Catherine wore, but that didn't mean he couldn't have his favorites. And Catherine could only wear such a garment during the summer months.

She smiled as she slowly walked closer. He felt himself gulp but he never tore his eyes from her. Catherine kept her eyes on his as well as she slipped herself into his lap, draping her arms around his neck. Vincent kept still as she began to press featherlight kisses to his temple, trailing down his jawline and across his cheek. She retraced her path until her lips found his ear in his curtain of hair. Vincent couldn't hold back another growl as Catherine began to nibble on his earlobe.

His arms snaked around her waist and puller her on top of him. As she pulled away from his ear, Vincent placed one hand on her cheek before turning her to face him. Her green eyes were darkened and her flushed lips were parted, her breath warming his cleft lip. He captured those tempting lips that had been taunting him. He savored the sweet taste of her, the faint taste of chocolate still lingering from their earlier dessert. He shifted their position so that he could lie down on the couch, while Catherine lay draped over him like a blanket.

His hand left her cheek to travel down the curve of her neck, only to encounter an obstacle: Catherine's robe. Frustrated, Vincent quickly took care of the problem, easing Catherine's slender arms from the offensive sleeves and tossed the garment to the floor. With that gone he leaned in and pressed small kisses to her shoulder, working slowly over her neck and collarbone, pausing only to kiss her full lips before turning his ministrations to the other side.

Forgetting she was supposed to be the one in charge, Catherine let herself be wrapped in the love Vincent showered over her. The way his hands were kneading into her lower back, and he way his unique mouth gently caressed her skin. Before she knew it Vincent had rolled her on her back. When his lips captured her mouth once again, Catherine went to work opening the rest of his shirt buttons. She wanted the feel of his toned muscles and wispy fur against her fingertips.

He broke away to stare down into her beautiful face. Her hair was fanned out behind her and the strap on her right shoulder had fallen. Catherine smiled up at him, her hands slowly stroking his chest.

"Forgive me, Catherine." His voice had become more husky, and had longing behind it. "But I have neglected to tell you how beautiful you are today, and how much I love you."

Catherine chuckled. "Vincent, you tell me that every day. You don't need to apologize."

"There you would be wrong, my love. I will spend the rest of my life letting you know just how much I love you and what your love has done for me." He placed a kiss to her forehead. "You have given me more than I ever dreamed, but believed impossible."

"Well, perhaps you could let me continue to prove you wrong." Catherine brought her hand to cup the back of Vincent's neck. She pulled him down and slowly kissed him. She pulled back to gaze into his half-lidded, drunken gaze. She leaned in whispered against his mouth, "I still haven't given you your gift."

She captured his lips and wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him down. Vincent was surprised when he felt her leg wrap around his waist, pulling him closer to her. He deepened the kiss as his hands gripped the back of her neck and her waist. He wanted to lift her into his arms ad carry her upstairs. But before he could move to stand there was a knock at the door.

Both Catherine and Vincent were surprised, and wondered who would be at their door at this hour. Vincent sat up and Catherine got to her feet. Grabbing her robe she ran to the door and opened it slightly.

"What the..." Catherine gasped, and opened the door. "Tasha? What are you doing here?"

Tasha stood on the front step. She wore a pair of ripped jeans and a gray T-shirt, with her leather jacket. Her red hair was plastered to her face, wet from the rain and tear stains down her face.

"Hey Cathy," she laughed nervously.

**XXX**

**AN:** I just want to send a special thanks to Cosmic Horse for helping me with this scene. I'm really more of a fluff writer, so having Cathy and Vincent in a more passionate scene was out of my comfort zone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Misunderstandings**

"Are you all right? Quick, come inside. Vincent, can you get her a towel?" Catherine led Tasha in from the cool night air and into the living room. Neither Vincent nor Catherine could figure out what the young woman was doing here, but they guessed they would soon find out. Vincent left and returned with a towel and a large blanket as Catherine relieved Tasha of her jacket and led her to the fireplace.

"Can I get you anything else? Tea perhaps?" Vincent asked.

"Scotch would be better," Tasha said, wrapping the blanket around herself. "Sorry to barge in like this. Honestly, I thought this place would be empty. If I'd known you two'd be here, I would a just gone back to my place." It was then that Tasha noticed Catherine's attire, not to mention Vincent's rumbled and hastily buttoned (most of the buttons were in the wrong place) shirt. She cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"We're never to busy for a friend Tasha," Vincent stated, trying to ease her embarrassment (not to mention his own), "but what troubles me is the reason you have come here."

Catherine sat Tasha and herself down on the couch. As Tasha used the towel on her soaked hair, Catherine asked, "Did something happen?"

Tasha immediately stopped toweling her hair. Her eyes got dark and her mouth curved into a frown. Her voice was full of spite when she answered. "Oh something happened all right, and it's all that damn idiot brother of yours fault." Tasha glared daggers at Vincent. Both Catherine and Vincent were surprised at Tasha's outburst. They had heard Tasha playfully tease Devin before, but never had she held such anger toward him.

Vincent sat down in the chair opposite the two women. "Tasha, what has Devin done to upset you so?"

"We thought you and Devin were getting along so well," Catherine added.

"So did I." All of a sudden the poor girl began bursting out in tears. Catherine placed her hands on Tasha's shoulders and let her cry on her shoulder. Catherine looked at Vincent and he nodded his head. The look Catherine was giving him was one meaning the two women needed to talk alone. Vincent stood and excused himself, saying he needed to check on the children. Once Vincent was gone and out of earshot, Catherine turned back to the weeping woman in her arms.

Tasha was finally starting to calm down. "I mean, we've been having a few argument over the past few months, but tonight—tonight it just all went to hell."

"What have you two been fighting about," Catherine asked.

"Just little things: date night cancellations, busy schedules. One night Dev says he wants me to move in, and I told him not unless he plans to give me a ring. Just the usual couple stuff." Catherine took a few tissues from the coffee table to dry her eyes. "B-But tonight, I-I_—_I just don't know what to do."

"Now Tasha, why don't you start from the beginning," Catherine coaxed. She wanted to help her friend but she needed to know what had happened that night.

It was a few more minutes before Tasha was able to speak. She finally calmed her breathing and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Well, Devin and Charles have been in town for a few days, and tonight he came over to meet my parents…"

* * *

_****__~Flashback~_

_Earlier that evening…_

_After dinner Mr. Lockhart excused his daughter and her boyfriend. Tasha had already given her father his Father's Day gift and wanted to some time with Devin before going back to the cabin where Devin and Charles were staying. When Tasha had stopped by to pick up Devin, she'd dropped off her lion, Thomas, to keep Charles company._

_After they left the Lockhart's home, Tasha and Devin went out to enjoy themselves. Usually Devin would take Tasha out to a nice restaurant or to an action packed movie. Tonight they had decided to go to a new bar outside of the city. It had karaoke, pool tables, and a wide selection of alcohol. They had already played three rounds of pool (Tasha winning two games) and were having a drink before trying their hand at karaoke._

_"Come on babe, do I really have to?" Devin complained for the fifth time._

_"Hey you agreed that if I won we'd sing," Tasha stated. "So finish your drink and get your butt on stage."_

_"How bout you sing one song, and I'll join you the next time around."_

_"Fine but that just means I'm picking a sappy romance song for your punishment. Hmm… I think "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" will do nice. Or maybe "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life." You get to be Bill Medley_ _and I can be Jennifer Warnes." Devin groaned as she walked over to the songbook to select her song. She settled on Michael Jackson's "Bad." With her song chosen, Tasha got up on stage, grabbed the mic. Once the song started, and the chorus came up, she sang her heart out._

_But They Say The Sky's_

_The Limit_

_And To Me That's Really True_

_And My Friends You Have_

_Seen Nothin'_

_Just Wait 'Til I Get Through . . ._

_Because I'm Bad, I'm Bad-_

_Come On_

_(Bad Bad-Really, Really Bad)_

_You Know I'm Bad, I'm Bad-_

_You Know It_

_(Bad Bad-Really, Really Bad)_

_You Know I'm Bad, I'm Bad-_

_You Know It, You Know_

_(Bad Bad-Really, Really Bad)_

_And The Whole World Has To_

_Answer Right Now_

_(And The Whole World Has To_

_Answer Right Now)_

_Just To Tell You Once Again,_

_(Just To Tell You Once Again)_

_Who's Bad . . ._

_Devin watched her from the barstool. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such an amazing woman as his girlfriend. Sure she was hot-tempered and stubborn to boot. Not to mention she could kick ass if anyone made it on her hit list. But besides her natural skills in a fight, she was a beautiful woman. Devin didn't like to brag, but he had to be the luckiest guy in the world to have such a gorgeous, sexy woman for a girlfriend. Her Scottish charm really reflected in both her personality and her looks._

_As she sang Devin noticed all the things he loved about her. How her red hair moved like fire as she swayed to the music. Her voice was a sweet river of music in his ears. Sure she had quite a lovely figure but the thing Devin noticed about her the most was her beautiful, emerald green eyes. No matter how many times they had a small tiff, or she teased him relentlessly with the "Scar face" nickname; one look into those eyes and he was putty in her hands._

_Just as his ladylove was finishing the last verse a group of bikers came in. They sat down at the bar and started joking around until the leader looked up at Tasha. Devin noticed the way that guy was looking at her, and he didn't like it. Much to Devin's dismay the guy had sat down one barstool away from him._

_"Hey boss," one of the biker's buddies said, "check out the redhead up there. Quite a set of pipes."_

_"Pipes? Who's paying attention with a rack like that?" another one joined in. The bartender noticed Devin's knuckles were turning white as his grip tightened on his beer bottle._

_"Yeah she's a real Jessica Rabbit," said the leader. "Bet you boys fifty big ones I get that home tonight."_

_Just as Devin was about to stand and belt the lecher and his dirt bags in their filthy mouths, Tasha's song ended. Everyone clapped and she walked off the stage right toward Devin. Unfortunately that very same lecher had stood up and crossed in front of her path._

_"Excuse me, do you have a quarter?" he asked, "My mother told me to call home when I met the girl of my dreams."_

_"Where'd you get that line, the back of a cheap Playboy?" Tasha tried to move aside but this guy was persistent._

_"Now don't be like that. Come on, what's a hot little honey like you doing without someone like me?"_

_"Look pal, I know what your game is and I'm not playing. Now how about you move before I make you sing like a choir boy."_

_"Whoa, look out boys," the biker called to his buddies, "This one's got some fire. You must me a wild cat in bed." He grabbed Tasha by the arm._

_"**Don't touch me!**" Tasha warned._

_"Ooh, watcha gonna do, spank me?" he crudely laughed._

_"No but her **boyfriend** might say something about it." The biker turned around only to have his face meet the end of Devin's fist. Devin pulled Tasha to the side as the creep started to get to his feet._

_"You all right babe?" he asked._

_"Devin I can handle this," Tasha insisted. But Devin had his eyes back on the biker gang._

_"Why don't you and your friends get out of here before there's trouble."_

_"You gonna pay for that pretty boy," the guy Devin punched yelled. "Nobody get's between Butch when he's trying to score a piece of tail."_

_Before another word was said the two men were locked into a heated fight. Each one threw several blows to the other. It didn't take long before the whole bar was caught up in the commotion. A circle formed around them as they threw each other across the room. When one managed to get a punch to the other's jawbone, the other would slam his fist into his opponent's stomach._

_The fight was getting out of hand. Furniture was being smashed and Tasha was sure bones would be next. She had to stop this. She tried yelling over the brawl to get the men to stop. Unfortunately she had gotten a little to close and one of the guys slugged her in the jaw and knocked her to the floor. If Devin hadn't been busy punching his fists into his opponent's face, he'd realize that now was a go time to be running._

_"Ok," Tasha yelled, "Now I'm gonna kick some ass!"_

_Getting to her feet Tasha dove in between the two brawling men. First she ripped the biker off of Devin and threw him to the ground. As he got back to his feet, Devin was about to go for another punch when Tasha grabbed the back of his neck. She grabbed the other man neck and the smashed their heads together. They both felt a little dazed, but before they could try for each other again Tasha grabbed them both by the ear. Both men immediately stopped fighting and focused on the pain. They looked liked two schoolboys being scolded by the principle for fighting._

_"Now listen up, the BOTH of ya," Tasha growled before releasing her boyfriend. "Dev, next time you start a fight, take it outside. And you!" She glared at the biker and threw him to the ground. He landed on his back and Tasha stomped her foot into his abdomen, crushing his sternum. "You EVER try that on me or any girl ever again, and I find out, I will geld you with broken glass and stuff a vodka bottle down your throat. Now **GET OUT OF HERE**!"_

_Tasha slammed her foot into his chest one more time before she let him go. The creep quickly got to his feet, slightly wincing from the pain, and signaled his gang to get out. After he left Tasha turned her attention back to Devin. He was badly bruised and he had a cut just above his right eyebrow. There was also some blood on the corner of his mouth._

_"Dev are you okay?" Tasha asked as she rushed to his side. But to her surprise he brushed past her. Tasha tried to talk to him but he just kept a neutral stare on his face._

_"Let's go." Those two monotone words caused a chill to run up Tasha's spin. She'd never seen Devin act like this before and it started to worry her._

_She quietly followed him out to the car. The ride back to his place was long and silent. When they got to Devin's house Charles greeted them with a happy Thomas by his side. However, their moods changed as the couple walked through the door. In fact, they walked right passed their friends and out to the backyard. Charles knew this meant one thing: fight._

_"Devin please, talk to me," Tasha begged. "What is the problem?"_

_"What's the problem? What's the problem?!" he yelled. "How about the fact you just embarrassed me back there for starters."_

_"What?"_

_"I was beating the hell out of that creep for the way he treated you and you just but in, making me look like some wuss who needs his girlfriend to fight for him._

_He crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Thanks a lot babe."_

_Tasha looked at Devin in shock before her blood started to boil. Her eyes shut, her teeth ground together, and her hands balled into fists so tight that her nails were biting into her palms._

_"Are you freaking kidding me right now! That's your problem? Devin, I've dealt with perverts like that since high school. If someone comes after me then I give 'em a warning, but when my friends are threatened then I won't hold back. For Pete's sake, I'm the only child of an overprotective father in the Marines who insisted that his little girl have the best self-defense training. Not to mention that he also specifically asked for the help of a CIA and FBI/professional assassin to train me. My first 'toy' was a BB gun, and for my twelfth birthday I got a Sawdust shotgun."_

_"I know all that!" Devin shouted._

_"Then why are you being such a baby about all this? It's the twentieth century for crying out load." Tasha just couldn't understand what was the problem. Devin had seen her defend herself before. It was one of the things he liked about her. So why was it bothering him now? "So I beat up that jerk. What does it matter?"_

_He turned to her. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and anger. "Because it makes me fell like I can't protect you."_

_"I don't need you to protect me!"_

_Everything went silent between the two. Tasha had meant to say she didn't need Devin fighting her battles for her, but all he had heard was that she didn't need him._

_"Devin I—"_

_"No," he interrupted her. "No, I get it. You don't need me. That's just—that's just fine."_

_The words had been spoken and now they hung in the air. Tasha waited for Devin to say something but all she got was silence as he turned his back on her. Finally it just became too much._

_"Screw this." Tasha turned and ran to the front of the house. She jumped in her jeep and took off down the highway. As she drove off the tears coursed down her face..._

_****__~Flashback~_

* * *

"And I just drove until I found myself at your doorstep, thinking a quiet cabin was better than," Tasha said when her story was finished. "Looking back I should have said something better, but you know me. I speak my mind and don't take crap from anyone, not even from that damn idiot."

Catherine had listened while Tasha told her story. She felt bad that Devin and Tasha had a terrible fight, but from what she had heard, it sounded like one big misunderstanding. Catherine put her hand on Tasha's shoulder. "Tasha, perhaps it would be better if you just talked with Devin about this."

"After what I said?" Tasha interrupted, "No way Cathy, not this time. I'm the one who took off without trying to talk to him. This time… I-I just don't think I can face him." Tears pooled in Tasha's eyes and Catherine scooted closer, pulling the crying woman back into her arms. About ten minutes later Catherine persuaded Tasha to spend the night in the spare bedroom. Once she got Tasha settled Catherine joined Vincent in their room upstairs.

"I assume things did not go well?" he asked when Catherine closed the door behind her. He had already changed into his pajamas and was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her.

"No," Catherine answered. "They had a fight and now it looks like neither is willing to see the other. I put her up in the guest room."

"I just don't see how things could have gone so wrong for them. I understand that as a new couple they would have their quarrels, but an argument of this extent? They seemed perfectly happy."

"If I recall we had our share of disagreements. You even tried to push me out of your life a few times." Vincent shrunk back at the memories. He remembered the guilt he felt when he had pushed her away, not to mention the crushing weight of Catherine's pain. Yet no matter how much he insisted she find a happier life with another, Catherine never gave up on their dream. Not like him.

Catherine saw the look in Vincent's eyes. She smiled and sat down next to him, taking his hands in hers.

"Vincent, I understand why you did what you did then," she assured him, "but that's in the past. Please don't dwell on it."

Vincent sighed. "I know that Catherine." Vincent took his arm and nestled it around her shoulders. Placing her hand over his arm Catherine leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

"I just hope, for their sake, Devin does not make my mistakes."

That night the two prayed for their friends, hoping that Devin and Tasha would find a way to undo the damage that had been done.

**XXX**

**AN:** Bar fight inspired by "The One After the Super Bowl," 'Friends' S2/E13 where Phoebe breaks up the fight between Rachel and Monica. I was watching it and thought that was so Tasha; I just had to use it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Can We Talk?**

The next morning Catherine and Vincent were awoken by the shrill sound of the telephone ringing. Groaning, Catherine reached over and grabbed the receiver, barely managing a weak, "Hello?

_Cathy? Is that you, honey?_

Upon hearing her former employer's voice, Catherine moved to prop herself on her elbow. "Katie?"

_Oh, I didn't know you were up at the cabin. Sorry to interrupt you're vacation but—but—_ There were tears in her voice as she struggled to talk.

"Katie, what's wrong?" Catherine asked.

Katie finally found her voice. _I__t's Tasha! I can't find her anywhere. Devin came by at the crack a dawn and asked if she was here. I told him she wasn't and he started panicking, and now I can't reach her at home or at the shelter, and—_

"Katie, calm down" Catherine tried her best to assure Katie that her daughter was all right. "Tasha's fine. She came over last night and spent the night in the guest room."

_Oh thank heavens,_ Katie sighed in relief. _I was worried to death. When Devin showed up in the state he was, poor thing was shakin' like a leaf. I thought somethin' terrible had happened._

"Apparently they had a fight last night and Tasha needed some time by herself. Only she hadn't known Vincent and I were up here for the weekend with the kids."

_I should a known. Tasha always goes off on her own when she's upset; always has, ever since she could walk. But I still worry. By the look of Dev, it must a been some hell of a fight. Poor boy's been doing nothing but sitting on the couch mumbling into his hands about how badly he screwed up._

Catherine paused as she took all this in. By what Katie was telling her, Devin was just as miserable as Tasha. If only these two could just talk to each other. She turned her attention back to Katie. "Katie, is Devin still at your house?"

_Sure. He's sitting in the living room. Why?_

Catherine placed the phone down and turned over. Vincent was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He'd been listening the whole time. "You want me to speak with him," he stated more than asked.

"He needs someone to talk to; he needs you." When she saw him nod, Catherine grabbed the phone and asked to speak to Devin. When she heard her brother-in-law's voice she handed the phone to Vincent.

"Devin," he answered. "It's good to hear from you."

With the two brothers talking, Catherine decided she might as well head downstairs and prepare breakfast. If she was up, she knew her children would be up and insist on something to eat. Catherine had made her way downstairs to the kitchen where she found Jacob and Rosie already sitting at the table, while Tasha was cooking on the stove.

"Hi Mommy!" the twins greeted in unison.

"Well good morning." She gave each of her children a kiss.

"Mommy, Tasha said she make us breakfast then we gonna go play outside," Rosie said.

"Well that sounds like fun," Catherine commented before turning to Tasha. "Are you sure that's all right with you, Tasha?"

"Heck ya," Tasha smiled. "I haven't seen these tikes since your wedding. I've missed the little cubs. So, how'd ya like your eggs? Scrambled I hope, cause that's all I can do."

Catherine nodded but her mouth turned down into a small frown as she looked at Tasha. The young woman was smiling and humming a little tune, but Catherine could see behind that. Tasha's eyes were still filled with the pain of her fight with Devin. This was probably just her way of coping with it; distracting herself by entertaining Jacob and Rosie. Catherine smiled. She remembered when Tasha would watch Rosie for her. She was always so happy around the tiny girl. It made Catherine wonder if Tasha wanted children of her own.

Catherine was brought out of her musings by Tasha's voice. "Hey, where's Puss at? I thought he liked to get up at sunrise."

"Oh! Vincent is, umm… He'll be down in a few minutes." Catherine didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want Tasha to know just whom Vincent was speaking to.

"Okay…" Tasha replied, though suspicion was clearly heard in her voice. "I'll just put aside a plate for the big guy."

**XXX**

Devin sat on the Lockhart's couch with his head buried in his hands. Last night events played over and over in his mind. He was such an idiot! He should have never said those things to Tasha. And now she was missing.

After Tasha had left Devin had stayed outside for a few minutes. He barley noticed as the rain started to pour down on his face. Slowly he made his way back inside the house and went straight the kitchen. He opened the liquor cabin and grabbed the Scotch. Bottle and glass in hand, Devin walked to the living room and sat down in his chair. As he was about to bring the glass to his lips, Charles walked into the room with Thomas by his side. The poor lion had been confused why his mistress had left without him. Charles was also concerned. He had been listening to Tasha and Devin argue on and off for months and he hated to see his friends like this.

After a few minutes Devin finally broke down and told his friend what had happened. To his surprise, Charles got very angry with him. He even yelled at Devin for being foolish enough to get so upset over such a silly matter. At first Devin didn't want to agree bit when he thought it over, he realized Charles was right. He was acting like a jerk and now he just lost Tasha. Without thinking he ran out into the rain and jumped into his van. Along the way Devin scanned the road for any sign of Tasha's jeep but the roads were empty due to the rain. He only had one destination in mind: the animal shelter. Tasha had a small apartment above the shelter. When he got there, Tasha's jeep wasn't in the driveway so she hadn't come yet. He waited outside her apartment all night and while the rain finally died down, Tasha never came home.

When the sun started to appear Devin thought maybe she had gone to her parent's house. The idea made him shudder. He remembered how easily Mr. Lockhart joked about killing him if Devin ever broke his daughter's heart, but Devin knew better. When he first met Tasha's father, the guy greeted him with a shotgun in his right hand. And to make matters worse, not only was Mr. Lockhart a retired Marine, but Katie had once been a top assassin for the CIA (though you'd never be able to prove it). He gulped before climbing into the van and setting out for the Lockhart's house.

He arrived on the doorstep and hesitated before knocking on the door. Katie had answered it and when he asked for Tasha, Katie began worrying, demanding to know what had happened and why her daughter was missing. Devin tried his best to explain but Katie had pulled him inside and called for her husband. Brutus came downstairs and found his wife nearly hysterical. He tried calming her down before asking Devin what was going on. After explaining for the second time what had happened, Brutus was silent. He told Katie to start calling around to see where Tasha went. Meanwhile Brutus had Devin follow him into the living room.

Devin wasn't sure what to think as he followed Brutus. He sat down on the couch and Brutus sat in a chair across from him. There was a moment of silence. Devin remembered when he was young and Father would continually scold him fro misbehaving and being reckless. Now he wished he would go back to those times. Sitting here with Brutus was far worse than anything Father could say to his younger self.

When Brutus finally did speak, he was serious but used a calm tone. He questioned Devin about the relationship he had with Tasha. Devin thought it over. He knew he cared very deeply about Tasha and wanted to move forward in their relationship. But it was more than that.

Devin wasn't usually the sappy, romantic type. Before he met Charles, he had spent his life traveling all over the world. He was a jack-of-all-trades, so work was never a problem. Heck, he even delivered a baby once when he tried being a doctor. The only one he really ever had a close relationship with was Vincent. As children Devin would include Vincent in all his mischievous schemes. Even when they'd had a fight (he touched his scared cheek) Devin didn't right out apologize, but instead he planned a trip to a carousal to make it up to Vincent. Of course, that ended up in disaster and Devin left for twenty years.

When Charles came into his life, it was Devin's second chance to make up for leaving Vincent behind to see the world. He remembered when he first brought Charles to the Tunnels. He was frightened, years of abuse caused doubts how others would receive him. But Devin encouraged him and, with Vincent's help, now Charles trusted himself around his new Tunnel friends. Devin enjoyed looking after Charles; it was like he had another brother to care for, and who looked up to him.

Still, Devin never felt the way he did when he was with Tasha. The first time they met Devin and Tasha acted more like a bickering brother and sister pair. She constantly teased him; even giving him that Scar Face nickname, which he noticed always made her laugh whenever it got a rise out of him. Then, while he was recovering from gunshot wounds in the Tunnels, Devin heard how Tasha had come up and executed a plan that saved Catherine and Jacob from Gabriel's clutches, he started looking at her with a new perspective. Over the next two months getting to know each other. After that, something happened. It was the night Catherine and Vincent had gotten married. Devin and Tasha were inseparable the whole night, only leaving to talk with friends and the bride and groom. Later the two had slipped away so that Devin could show her the Mirror Pool.

He smiled at the memory. They had talked for a long time about everything and anything. And then… Devin wasn't quite sure how or why it happened, but it happened: they kissed. It was a chaste kiss but a kiss all the same. After that they began seeing each other whenever they could. It had been the most serious relationship he'd ever had with a woman. When he was with Tasha, it was the same feeling he had the first time he went to a new part of the world. He could open up and be himself around her. In fact, he couldn't think f anything he wanted to do that didn't involve Tasha by his side. Now… Now he wasn't so sure where their relationship was headed, or even if he still had one.

_What have I done?_ Devin quietly sobbed before finding his voice. "I just want her to be happy."

Brutus was quietly listening while Devin wept into his hands over his mistake. He cleared his throat, causing Devin look up.

He sighed in frustration as he explained, "Devin, I ain't gonna lie. You're an idiot. You should know my little girl can handle herself. She's proud like her mother, and stubborn like her father. But Tasha has a good heart and won't put up with anyone who gripes about it. So I suggest when she turns up, you get down on your knees and grovel."

Devin bowed his head in defeat. It was going to take more than that. It just seemed so hopeless but then…

"However," Brutus continued. Devin looked up to meet the older man's eyes. "The fact that you're man enough to realize you're at fault takes a lot of humility, and I respect that. I want what's best for my daughter and I think you are just the man for it. I just want you to promise me two things: you get my daughter's forgiveness no matter what, and that you're gonna take care of her after all this."

"That's a promise I intend to keep." Devin was all too relieved that Brutus wasn't angry with him, or threatening him to stay away from his daughter, but was giving him advice. "Thank you, Mr. Lockhart."

"Mr. Lockhart was my father, and I ain't that old yet. Call me Brutus."

It was then Devin realized he had tears staining his face. Feeling embarrassed, he reached over to grab a tissue off the coffee table. As he grabbed the tissue Devin was caught by surprise as a large hand smacked him upside the back of his head. Grabbing the back of his head, Devin looked at Brutus with a questionable look.

"That was for making my Baby Girl cry," he smirked. Devin found himself smiling too. _I did deserve that_, he thought.

At that moment Katie walked in the room. "Well, I finally tracked her down."

"Where was she Kate?" Brutus asked.

"She went up to the Chandler cabin and wouldn't ya know it? Cathy and the gang are up there for the weekend. She says Tasha's doing fine, but Cathy wants to talk to you, Devin.

Devin thanked her and took the phone while Brutus left to join his wife. "Hey Chandler, or should I say Mrs. Wells. How's my new sis doing?"

Though it wasn't Catherine on the line. _Devin_. _It's good to hear from you_.

"Vincent? I thought I was talking to Cathy.

_Catherine thought it best if I were to talk with you about the… incident._

"Oh, so you heard huh?" Devin felt embarrassed. Seems everyone he knew was informed of his mistake. "I really screwed up this time, didn't I?"

There was a moment of silence.

Devin sighed. "Vincent I just don't know what to do? I know she's pissed and doesn't want to see me, but I just have to talk to her. But what the hell am I supposed to say. Seems everything I say just ends up getting me down deeper into this hole I dug."

_Devin, I cannot tell you what you must do_, Vincent explained, _all I can tell you is you must listen to your heart. For so long I ignored what my heart tried to tell me and it almost cost me my happiness. Countless times I was given the opportunity to grasp it. Instead, I turned away, for fear I would harm the one I loved most. And I almost lost her._ Devin could all to well remember how Vincent had wept when everyone believed Catherine was dead. The pain nearly crushed him. Even as he spoke of it, Devin could here the choked backed tears in Vincent's voice.

_But Fate gave me another chance. Each day since Catherine was returned to me I have rejoiced for such an unworthy gift._ His voice turned serious with his next words. _Please Devin, don't make the same mistake I did._

Devin allowed Vincent's words to sink in. As always, Vincent was right. He knew then he didn't want to lose his chance at the best thing to ever come into his life.

"Thanks Vincent," Devin replied, "Hey, you think you could do me a favor?"

_Anything._

"Keep Tasha there for a couple hours. There's something I gotta do before I face her. Oh, and Vincent?"

_Yes? Vincent asked._

"Wish me luck."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: I'm So Sorry**

_For the times we're at odds_

_ Here's a kiss from my heart_

_ And a breath in you ear_

_ Telling you I'm sorry_

_ For the times we're apart_

_ Here's a kiss with a tear_

_ And a heart full of love,_

_ Telling you I'm so sorry_

— "For the Times" by John Stamos

* * *

The sun was just starting to set over the horizon. Jacob and Rosie had spent the whole day with Tasha, playing games and keeping her company. Now they were taking a nap up in their room. Meanwhile, Catherine and Tasha were getting things ready for dinner while Vincent finished packing the bags. It was the last day at the cabin and once it was dark, they would be returning to the city. Catherine offered Tasha to use the cabin until she felt up to going back home. Tasha was grateful and planned to spend a few days there. She was going to call her mother up the next day to have someone pickup Tomas and bring him over. She just didn't feel up to facing Devin quite yet.

"So how long do you think you'll stay here?" Catherine asked, "Won't you need to get Thomas?"

Tasha sighed. "Yeah but… I don't know. I feel bad for him, but I think I'll just have Dad pick him up for him for me. Least Charles will keep him company for a while."

Catherine looked at her friend. She wished she could help but this was something Devin and Tasha had to fix on their own. Vincent walked in. He saw the look on his wife's face. He could feel her pain in his own heart. Each of them had spoken with Tasha and given their advice. Now all that was left was the confrontation. Vincent joined Catherine on the couch.

"Tasha, you know you are always welcome to seek refuge in the Tunnels," Vincent said. "If you would rather travel back with us, we could stop by you're home for—"

"No," Tasha interrupted. "Thanks Puss, but I think I just need some time to myself. Clear my head, ya know?"

Vincent was about to reply when he heard something outside. Catherine noted his intense gaze as he stared at the door. "What is it?"

Instead of answering her, Vincent cautiously walked to the back door in the kitchen. He paused when there was a light scratching noise coming from the outside,

"Come on Puss, don't leave us in the dark," Tasha whispered, "What's out there?"

"I believe you have a visitor," Vincent stated. He opened the door and in bounded Tasha's lion Thomas. He ran up to her and knocked her over. Tasha laughed as he continued to lick her face.

"Okay, okay," Tasha laughed, "I get it. You missed me. Now get off you overgrown fur ball."

Thomas obeyed and sat up for his mistress. She smiled and got up to scratch the young lion behind his ears.

Vincent walked into the room and wrapped his arm around Catherine's shoulders as they watched Tasha and Thomas. Catherine smiled but then she noticed something about the lion. "Uh Tasha? What that on Tom's collar?"

Tasha stopped her stroking and examined the collar. Intertwined around the leather collar was a Blue Mystique Orchid. Tasha felt her heart skip a beat. Only one person in the whole world knew that this was her favorite flower. She even had it tattooed on her lower back. Catherine and Vincent noted her frozen state and couldn't fathom what this strange flower meant.

All three of them went silent when they heard a strange sound coming from outside. They all got up and moved to the window. What lay outside surprised them all. Outside, standing in the middle of the yard, was Devin. He was standing next to a boom box and had a bouquet of velvet, red roses and blue orchids in his right hand. Tasha felt her heart constrict as she listened to the song. While it was the tape playing the music, Devin was the one who sang the lyrics.

_It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside_

_I'm not one of those who can easily hide_

_I don't have much money, but boy if I did_

_I'd buy a big house where we both could live_

_If I was a sculptor, but then again, no_

_Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show_

_I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do_

_My gift is my song, and this one's for you_

_And you can tell everybody this is your song_

_It may be quite simple, but now that it's done_

_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

Tasha had no words as she listened to Devin's voice. Sure it was a little gruff, mostly from his nervousness and the fact he never sang in front of people. But the fact that he was doing this, singing a completely sappy love song just for her; Tasha knew he was trying his hardest to apologize. She walked from the window to step outside. She stopped at the porch and leaned against the railing as she listened to him.

When Devin spotted her coming out of the cabin, his heart began to beat a little faster. He could see she had been crying but still she looked so beautiful. When she stopped at the railing Devin got more confident and put more of himself into the song.

_I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss_

_Well, a few of the verses, well, they've got me quite cross_

_But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song_

_It's for people like you that keep it turned on_

_So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do_

_You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue_

_Anyway the thing is what I really mean_

_Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen_

_And you can tell everybody this is your song_

_It may be quite simple, but now that it's done_

_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

_I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

The song ended and Devin turned off the boom box. Tasha stepped off the porch and walked toward him. She stopped about five feet away from him. There was a small glint of hope in his eyes, but it dimmed when Tasha just glared at him. If looks could kill he'd be on his knees in pain from the daggers she glared at him.

"So," she finally said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You think you can just show up with Thomas, bring me flowers and sing a song, and I'd just forgive you?"

"No," he confessed. "That was just to get your attention."

"How the hell did you find me, anyway?" Tasha demanded

Devin took one step toward her, glad when she didn't back away. "I went looking for ya after you took off. I searched everywhere for ya, even went to your folks house. Boy, did your mom chew me out." He laughed nervously, trying to make the moment less awkward. It wasn't working.

"Tom missed ya like crazy." Silence. "Charles misses you too. He, he-he really nailed into me when you took off yesterday. I think he even threatened to never talk to me if I didn't go after you."

Inside, Vincent could hear how his brother was handling this situation. Catherine couldn't hear but the body language was clear: Devin was not heading off to a good start. Both Vincent and Catherine were silently pleading for Devin to take this seriously.

"Well, you can tell _Charles_ I'm fine," Tasha snapped. "Thanks for bringing Tom back, but I think it's best if you just leave."

"Wait, Tash." He reached out and grabbed her wrist as she started walking away. Normally she'd flip him and continue inside, but something in her heart told her to listen to what Devin had to say.

When she didn't pound him for grabbing onto her like that, Devin inwardly let out the breath he'd been holding. He knew that if he wanted her back, he was going to have to do this carefully. One wrong word and he might just lose her for good. For a moment he continued to hold her wrist. Looking down he smiled at how small her hand was in his. Sure they looked dainty and feminine, but he knew that in the time and place, these hands could break bones and were quick on a trigger.

Letting go of her wrist, Devine sighed.

"Look, Tasha, I... I messed up. I know you don't need me to keep an eye on you. Hell, I've seen you hold your own and I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But when that creep started in and was saying all those things about you, I got mad. I may not be a gentlemen-type, but no one should be talked to like that. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit there while some pig talks about my girl like that!"

Tasha was shocked. She knew Devin had been trying to defend her, but she had never seen him like this before. So… possessive. Yet in a protective way. It was kind of alluring how he thought of her, but she was still mad about a few things.

"If that's how you felt, then why didn't you say anything?" Her voice was laced with ice.

"I was gonna," Devin protested. "In fact, that very night, I'd planned to have the living room to ourselves that night, and have you join me for a little wine. Then, when the mood was just right, I was going to ask you to move in with me again. I'd already talked it over with Charles, and he agreed it would be all right to ask you to move in. But then I screwed up and let my pride get the better of me.

"Tasha the moment I realized you weren't coming back I realized just how stupid I was being. I acted like some sexist jerk because my girlfriend beat up a guy I got into a fight with. Yeah I was mad but you were just being you, and I wouldn't change anything about you. You speak you're mind, don't take anyone's crap; you give a guy a push when he's beating himself up and you have one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. I love watching how you care for those animals at the shelter. You're a great friend to Charles; you accepted him from the start when most people would run away from him."

Tasha looked down at the ground. Slowly her anger toward him started to disappear. Sure Devin would compliment her at times, and say how he adored her. But this was the first time he ever openly expressed just how much she meant to him.

"You're one amazing woman, Tasha," Devin continued. Suddenly he felt himself starting to tremble. The words were getting caught in his throat and he tried to focus. He took a deep breath and released it. Devin lifted his hand and hooked his finger under her chin, turning her face up toward him. In her eyes he saw that they were filled with unshed tears. Devin smiled. Looking into those emerald orbs Devin had to resist kissing away those tears.

He bent down and rested his forehead against hers. Tasha was starting to shake, her eyes glued to him.

"And?" she asked, her voice barley above a whisper.

Gathering his courage he told her. "And that's why—that's why I… I love you."

Time seemed to stop. Not a sound could be heard except for the gently breeze. Tasha felt as if her whole body had gone completely numb. Those three little words echoed in her mind. So much power was in those words, enough to render her completely speechless. It was like she was watching the world through someone else's eyes. Devin had removed his finger from her chin. He was looking at her now, waiting for her answer. His smile was slowly disappearing and his dark eyes were filled with anticipation, hope, and pure love.

"Devin, I-I—"

"Before you say anything," he interrupted, "I just have one more thing to say. It's just a silly question, and you can answer however you want; I just want to know one thing."

Tasha couldn't imagine what he wanted to say but she obeyed and allowed him to speak.

This was it. Time to show her just how much he wanted her to see how true his statement was. He handed her the flowers before he continued. She smiled and took them, bringing them to her nose and inhaling their fragrance.

"Well, I know I've asked this before, but I want to ask again," he started, "Tasha would you be willing to move in with me?"

Tasha sighed. "Dev, you know how I feel about that. I just don't believe in cohabitation."

"I know, I know," he stated, "just let me finish. You see, I did some thinking and realized there was only one way I could persuade you to live with me."

"Oh really?" She gave him a skeptic look. Yes, they had indeed had this conversation before. Sure it would be fun living with Devin and Charles. They would see each other more often, and she would be able to visit Charles as well. Both men got along great with her pet lion, and he certainly approved of them. Still, Tasha knew that those relationships were a gamble, and she didn't want to take the chance.

Devin saw the disbelief on her face. He smirked: he had her. His heart started beating faster. He really had only one shot at getting this right. Slowly he got down on his knees and took Tasha's free hand in his own. He smiled at her confused expression.

"I know I shouldn't be asking this, especially the way I treated you. But if you'll let me, no matter how long it takes; I want to show you just how much you mean to me. I know it's not much but—Well I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Devin paused to gather his thoughts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He enclosed it in his fist so Tasha couldn't see what it was. He looked up at her and opened his hand.

Tasha gasped and dropped her bouquet. Lying in the center of Devin's palm was a silver band with a small Pear Shaped Tanzanite Three Stone ring. The gems were small but the ring itself was absolutely beautiful.

"So, Tasha Keira Lockhart," Devin grinned at her expression. "What do ya say? Would you marry me?"

The tears spilled from her eyes and Tasha threw herself into his arms. Devin held her close, one hand on her back, the other on the back of her head. It felt wonderful to have her back in his arms again. And this time, he intended to never let her go again. He shifted so that his lips were next to her ear.

"I take it that's a yes?" he chuckled.

Tasha smiled against his neck and leaned back to look at him. Her smile took Devin's breath away as her eyes lit up with unshed tears.

"Yes!"

Devin let out a whoop and stood up as he lifted Tasha into his arms. He spun her around, spinning faster as she laughed. He spun so fast that he fell with her to the ground. They collapsed in a fit of laughter, Tasha on top of Devin. They smiled before Tasha grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him to her lips, one kiss Devin eagerly returned.

Catherine and Vincent smiled as they watched the couple from the front door. Catherine couldn't be happier for her friends. She sighed and rested her head on Vincent's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. Nothing could explain the joy he felt in seeing his lifelong friend and brother experience the love he himself had found the day his Catherine came into his life. Devin had found his happiness, and Vincent wished them both a Happy Life.

**XXX**

**Disclaimer:** "Your Song" by Elton John.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Special Gift**

It was about half past twelve. Father was pacing his study as he awaited his family's return. He had hoped they would be back by now, but something must have delayed them. Countless possibilities and old fears ran through the old man's mind, causing his pacing to increase. Of course, this put a strain on his arthritic hip, but Father couldn't be bothered with it.

This was how Mary found him on her way from checking on the children in the Nursery. She sighed, shaking her head and entered the study. "You'll wear a hole in the stone if you keep that up Father," she joked.

Father ceased his pacing and turned to look at her. "Mary. I didn't know you were awake."

"Just checking up on little Andy, the poor dear." A Helper had found the toddler alone in an alleyway. His parents were nowhere to be found so they brought him here to the Tunnels. He was a little underweight but otherwise healthy. Mary turned her thoughts back to Father. "Why don't you get some rest. I'm sure they are just running a little late."

"Still, I can't help but worry about them," Father sighed. He sat down in his chair and Mary went to stand by his side.

"Would you like some tea?" Mary asked.

"That sounds wonderful, thank you." Mary smiled and left to fetch the tea.

Father tried his best to relax but he just couldn't stop worrying. Whenever Vincent left to walk the streets Above he prayed his son would return without being seen. Now that Catherine and he had been reunited, it seemed the worrying increased. They still had no knowledge if any of Gabriel's allies were out there and knew of Catherine's whereabouts. She and Vincent were the only ones to have ever escaped from Gabriel's clutches alive. Father started to stand in order to pace the floor again.

"Where could they be?" he muttered to himself.

"Right here Father."

Father looked up to see Catherine and Vincent standing in the doorway, Jacob and Rosie were being carried in their father's arms. Father let out a sigh of relief and welcomed them in. Vincent set down the children so they could run to their grandpa and give him a hug. The children taken care of; Father turned and embraced his son before turning to his daughter-in-law.

Catherine smiled as she hugged the Tunnel patriarch. "I hope you don't mind Father, but we brought home some guests."

Father was about to object to bringing strangers to the Tunnels, but his frown turned into a surprised smile as Devin and Tasha came walking in, hand-in-hand.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise," Father exclaimed. He opened his arms and gathered his older son into a hug. "It's good to see you Devin. And what a surprise to have you here Tasha."

"Nice to see you too Mr. Wells," Tasha replied. After her and Devin started dating, she had stopped calling him Doc and switched to Mr. Wells, or Dr. Wells. Little did he know she'd have something else to call him soon.

"Well, come in and sit down. Mary just left to bring the two of us some tea, but I'm sure I can send her a message to being a few more."

"Don't bother Pop," Devin stated, "We ran into Mary on our way over and she said she'd bring some extra cups. Besides, we're not here on a social visit."

"Oh. Is that so?" He noted that everyone seemed to be beaming with excitement. "Alright, what's going on here?"

"Devin and Tasha have some news they wish to share with you," Vincent commented.

"But we'd like to wait until Mary gets back before we tell you," Tasha added. "I hope that's alright?"

"That's fine with me my dear." Although Father couldn't help but wonder what the news was. As they sat down, Father noted that something had changed. Catherine and Vincent sat on the couch with the twins sitting in their laps. Meanwhile, instead of offering her a chair, Devin sat down and pulled Tasha into his lap. She seemed surprised but had no objection to the arrangement. Father thought this over as he sat down in his own chair.

When Mary returned with the tea, Vincent was finishing his tale of the wonderful surprises he received for Father's Day (aside from his rather intimate moment with Catherine). Mary was pouring the tea when she noticed Tasha was wearing a silver band on her left hand. "My Tasha, what a lovely ring. I've never seen it before."

"Oh, yes, about that," Tasha tried to say, but the words seem to catch in her throat.

Father looked up from his glass to see what Mary was talking about. "Quite a lovely band. Might I see it?"

Tasha held up her hand. Father had to use his glasses to get a better look at the stone. The ring consisted of three gems: two small diamonds and the center stone was a Tanzanite. "Very lovely my dear, where did you…" But the words were forgotten as soon as Father realized which finger the ring was placed. Sure enough, Tasha was wearing it on the ring finger of her left hand. His eyes rose to met Devin and Tasha, never breaking contact, even as he removed his glasses.

"Can it be?" he asked tentatively. "Can this be what I think it means?"

Devin smiled at his father before answering, "Yeah, I'm getting married Pop. Surprised?"

"Words cannot describe the emotion."

"Oh congratulations you two," Mary exclaimed. She walked over and gave Tasha a hug, and she gave Devin a kiss to his forehead. "I always hoped you would settle down one of these days. Have you picked a date for the wedding?"

"Mary, I just gave her the ring today," Devin said.

"It's never too early to think about these things," Mary scolded him.

Devin leaned over to his brother. "Was it this bad when you two made the announcement?"

Vincent chuckled. "She's only just started."

"Wait until you start the actual planning," Catherine added.

Everyone laughed and Father offered up a toast to the happy couple. The next hour was spent discussing wedding plans. Finally Tasha saw the time on the clock.

"Well, we should head back and check up on Charles," Tasha said, "And after that we'll need to phone my parents. I just hope Dad isn't cleaning out his gun safe."

"Why's that babe?" Devin asked.

Tasha smiled wickedly. "Because Scar Face, you're marrying Daddy's Little Girl without his permission, so when he sees this ring he's gonna go John Wayne on your ass."

Catherine's eyes went wide and she swore Devin actual broke a sweat. Her brother-in-law had a knack for talking his way out of trouble, but this time he looked like he might be in over his head. But Vincent knew Devin better. His brother might have been able to fool others, but not him.

"Devin what are you not telling us?" he asked.

Devin sighed in defeat. "Dang, I can't put anything past you Vince." He turned to Tasha. "Hate to disappoint you babe, but already talked to him. Who do you think helped me pick out a ring?"

"I thought the stone looked familiar." Tasha brought the ring to eye level. "This was my great-grandmother's wedding ring. You jerk," she added, playing swatting his shoulder.

Devin laughed before turning back to Father. "This has been great, but Tasha's right. We better get going."

"Nonsense. It's late and I won't have you driving at this time of night," Mary protested.

"I must agree with Mary," Father added, "Tonight you'll sleep in the Guest Chamber and then you can leave after breakfast in the morning." Father could see how tired everyone was and knew his decision was best. After all, if Jacob and Rosie were already beginning to nod off, the adults must be equally as tired.

"Besides," Father added, "I think these two need to be off to bed." Both Vincent and Catherine looked down at the children to see their eyes drooping.

Mary walked over and picked up Rosie from her mother's lap. "Poor dears. Cathy, why don't you show Tasha where she can freshen up, and I'll help Vincent put these two to bed."

Catherine agreed and led Tasha to one of the Guest Chambers. Vincent and Mary followed after them with the twins in their arms. Devin was about to head off to his own chamber when he was stopped by Father's hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face him.

"What's up Pop?"

"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am, Devin. I know I wasn't the best father figure to you when you were a boy, but seeing the man you have become has done more than I could ever hope for. Tasha is a fine young woman. Your mother would be proud of you as well."

"Thanks Pop," Devin said. He placed his hand over Father's and gave it a gentle squeeze. They had never had an easy relationship, but hearing Jacob Wells say that he was proud of his son, was about the best thing in the world to Devin. Not thinking too much about it. Devin gathered Father into a hug. Father eagerly returned the gesture. They broke apart after some time and with a "Goodnight," went off to the respected chambers for a well-earned rest.

**XXX**

Catherine walked down the Tunnels halls toward her chamber. She had made sure Tasha had everything she needed and gotten her settled in. It had been quite the day and so much had happened. Devin and Tasha were going to be married, and there was a wedding to plan. Catherine smiled as the idea brought up memories of her own wedding day.

She reached her chamber to find that the curtain had been drawn and it was oddly quiet. She drew back the curtain and looked inside to see a candle burning by the bedside. Other than that, the chamber was empty. _The children must be asleep but where is Vincent?_ she thought to herself.

Quietly stepping into the chamber, Catherine tiptoed to her children's room to check on them. To her surprise the beds were completely empty. Catherine panicked and turned to search for Jacob and Rosie, but was stopped. She was held immobile as two strong, muscular arms encircled her waist, pulling against a warm, solid body. Vincent chuckled at her shock before leaning down to nuzzle her ear.

Catherine relaxed slightly. She leaned her head back on to his shoulder and enfolded her hands over his. "Vincent, where are the children?"

"I asked if Mary could watch over them tonight," he whispered in her ear.

"A-And why w-would you do that?" It was getting harder to focus. Vincent had gone from nuzzling to kissing and nipping her neck.

He managed to pause long enough to answer her. "Because my love, I wanted no interruptions." His hands moved from her waist to gently grip her shoulders. Slowly his fingers kneaded into her muscles, his claws slightly piercing her shirt and pricking Catherine's skin. A low rumbling vibrated from Vincent's torso. The deep sound made Catherine fall into a trance.

Suddenly her thoughts flashed back to the night Tasha had fought with Devin. Before Tasha had shown up on her door, Catherine and Vincent had been…

A slow laugh muffled by closed lips caught Vincent's attention. He stopped his ministration and turned Catherine so that he could see her eyes. Catherine smiled at him, reaching her hand up to caress his cheek. He smiled back and leaned into her touch.

"I guess I still haven't given you that gift I promised," Catherine said. "Vincent, I have a confession to make."

Vincent looked up from her hand to meet her eyes. She was still smiling but he was a bit confused by her words. "What is it Catherine?"

"The truth is, _that_ was really only the decoy. You see I have to wait awhile before I can give your _real_ gift."

Vincent wasn't sure what to say. Catherine had to wait to give him his gift? He racked his brain but could not think of a single idea as to what she could be talking about. He removed his head from her hand and turned her fully around to face him.

"Catherine, I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You will," she insisted, "but first, you have to close your eyes." He gave her a skeptical look, even cocking one eyebrow. "Don't you trust me?"

Vincent sighed and complied with her wishes. When his eyes were shut Catherine took his left hand in her right.

"Vincent, you know I love you, and I wish to give you everything you desire. There was a time when my silence kept you from the greatest gift I could ever give you: a family of your own. For that, I'm sorry."

Though his eyes remained such, Vincent couldn't stop the look of sadness that swept over his face. He knew what Catherine spoke of. He wanted to voice his protest but her words stopped him.

"Now I can give you that chance." With her free hand, Catherine reached down and pulled up the hem of her shirt until it reached just under her bust line. Then, taking his hand in hers, Catherine brought Vincent's hand down and laid it over her abdomen.

Vincent was surprised when he felt Catherine's smooth skin under his fingertips. Her flesh tensed as his claws lightly traced her stomach. Just what exactly was she trying to… Her words sunk in. Slowly Vincent opened his eyes in disbelief as he looked down at Catherine. How could he have been so blind? She was glowing just as she had that day she came to his chamber three years ago.

"Catherine… A-Are you sure?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes. Vincent, you're going to be a father again."

Tears welled in his eyes. He looked down at his hand over her stomach. To think that beneath his fingers, a tiny life was growing inside the woman he loved. Vincent couldn't find the words. It all now made sense why there were times he could not sense Catherine as strongly. Just like with Jacob and Rosie, the child within her was somehow blocking their Bond. Soon he may not be able to feel Catherine until after this child was born. Possibly it resulted in being one of the side effects from having a child with Vincent's DNA. It also meant that her pregnancy would not last the entire nine months of a normal pregnancy.

"Catherine, who else knows about this?" Vincent asked.

"Just Peter," she explained, "I had my suspicions and after you left for that repair job in the lower Tunnels, I made an appointment with him. Sure enough, the tests came back positive. I wanted to tell you the moment I found out, but then I remembered that by the time you'd returned it would be Father's Day. So I waited in order to surprise you."

Vincent smiled and, without warning, swept Catherine into his arms. He spun her around before collapsing on their bed with her in his lap. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. They were going to have another child. And this time he would get to experience everything with Catherine. He wouldn't leave her side. Finally they parted, content in holding each other.

"Catherine, I believe it was wise for you not to say anything to the others back in Father's study," Vincent said after a while.

"Why's that?" Catherine asked.

"I don't think Father's heart could handle the shock of both a wedding and another grandchild," he chuckled.

Catherine laughed as well. "You're right. He has enough gray hairs from Jacob and Rosie running amuck. Just wait till this little baby comes along." Catherine smiled and rested her hand over her stomach. She couldn't wait to be a mother again. Sure there were things she was going to resent: morning sickness, swollen ankles, mood swings, and back pain. But she would willingly put up with it because this time Vincent would be by her side. She wanted him to experience the joys of her pregnancy, like feeling the baby kick.

Soon Vincent's hand was resting over Catherine's. A few days ago, he had thought he could not have been more blessed. And how was it like Catherine to prove him wrong. He truly had everything: a family who loved him, his friend and brother was getting married, and a loving wife and children, with another on the way.

Yes, life was good and it was only going to get better.

**The End**

**XXX**

**AN:** Well another BatB story complete. Hope this was a good addition to _Saved By Surprise_. For those who are wondering, yes, I will write Devin and Tasha's wedding (I just have to get in wedding planner mode). Plus I need to figure out how pregnant Catherine will be: really pregnant or baby in arms? If it's the latter, I'll also need to figure out the baby's gender.

Until next time. Please R&R and let me know what you think should be in the next addition of this little saga. I love hearing feedback.


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